Transcending Evolution Chapter 3: The Strange Disc
Note: I think I’m getting better at this. It only took 5 hours this time instead of 9. I even needed a lot less help than usual on some conusing paragraphs.
Anyways, a special thanks to SnowTime, Fantasy-Boooks’s TL-Adviser.
In the new era, public transportation had a more developed system. The buses themselves differed. They were not as large as they used to be, and were separated into cars (like a train), each being small in size, holding only up to four people . Each car could drive independently from it’s main system, allowing you to disconnect from the overall bus, like a railroad car.
[TL: Picture a train in which the cars could separate, and each one could go their own way. But it’s not a train, it’s a bus. Like a bus made of mini cars that you could join together in a line or disconnect and they become individual cars again.The cars of course would not stray far too far from each other]
This kind of public transportation set up was to completely avert waiting times. So long as you were there, it did not take five minutes before an individual compartment arrived and went the straightest route to your destination. Even compared to the Taxi system in the previous area, it was just as convenient.
The bus was fast, and in less than ten minutes, Gu Yue was home. This was a good district, where residential towers, like high-rises, towered above. There was much foliage and flowers, with a lush fragrance around the buildings. It was a good place.
Gu Yue’s home was in a ten-story building. It was neither high nor low of a floor, and was a full two hundred square meter area – a precious real estate his parents had left him. As he opened the door, he found it empty, and a loneliness sprung upon Gu Yue.
Gu Yue was an orphan; no brothers or sisters. His parents had a deep cultivation, and were quite well-known evolutionary beast hunters. But five years ago, when they both went out-of-town hunting, they had gone missing, and Gu Yue had never heard from them again.
In this era, where evolutionary beasts roamed, missing in fact meant death. Those creatures were known by their food habits. The results? Only bones would be left. The lack of bodies often lead to those being claimed as ‘missing’ in the records.
From then on, only a butler robot resided at in his house. Most of the time, Gu Yue was afraid. He was afraid of walking into an empty house, only to feel wretched and overwhelmed by the loss of his family. So, at times he would put off going home until it was very late at night. A part of him just did not dare return.
Only this time, he was in an especially depressing mood. All he wanted to do was go home early. Even though it was empty and lonely, home was home..
As he approached, on the door was a photograph of a large handsome man, and a gentle-like, beautiful woman with affectionate and soulful eyes.
“Father, mother, I really miss you!”
Gu Yue eyes were moist. He did not want to cry. Ever since the disappearance of his parents, he told himself over and over again that he had been strong. That tears were for the weak. And ever since he did, even when he had suffered a heavy blow, not a tear ever did fall; only this time, the blow came from Bai Ning Xue’s betrayal. His very soul was on the brink of freezing up.
Gu Yue and Bai Ning Xue were neighbors ever since their childhood. Gu Yue’s parents were top Evolutionary Beast Hunters, and Bai Ning Xue’s father, Bai Lang, was a normal cultivator. But even though he did not appear extraordinary, his mind for business was excellent. The two families were familiar with each other, and so, agreed to work together within the city walls where they opened an Evolutionary Beast Department Store.
Although Evolutionary Beasts were both brutal and vicious, and an enemy of mankind, their bodies contained valuable materials that could be harvested. Beast meat was a high-level food ingredient; animal blood could be brewed to manufacture symbol ink; beast bones and muscles could also be used to refine bio-alloy materials; and as for the Source Crystals of those creatures, they had an extensive range for various applications.Such crystals were both rare and precious.
Evolutionary Beast Department store’s key element was being the source to get high-end materials. People didn’t have to worry about going out and getting them themselves. With Gu Yue’s parents continuing to take risks by going out and collecting more materials, the small business became very prosperous.
With this, the two families had a tacit understanding, and Gu Yue and Bai Ning Xue became childhood friends.
The two grew up together. There was even consideration for Gu Yue to take Bai Ning Xue as his bride, and after his parents went missing, his only remaining family could be considered as Bai Ning Xue.
Bai Ning Xue had excellent talent, coupled with the Department Store’s income, her cultivation enhanced quickly. Gu Yue, of course, was the opposite.
Since his parent’s went missing, Bai Lang took complete control of the store and embezzled all of it’s funds clean. Not to speak of net revenue that was to be split between the two families, as the Yue family was an investor, nothing remained. Bai Lang did not even give Gu Yue even half a penny.
And how could Gu Yue, a single ten-year old boy compete with Bai Lang who has the might of Shanghai’s many years of business. He would only be cheated to death. Fortunately, his parents left behind some inheritance, plus he had also found some part-time jobs these few years. Only then was he able to barely make a living.
The innate talent of the two were different, and if you add-on the differences of resources, the disparity in cultivation only became bigger and bigger. For a period of time, although Gu Yue felt that Bai Ning Xue was growing colder and no longer held the pa.s.sion she had for him from before, he didn’t care about it too much. After all is said and done, he never had too many thoughts about Bai Ning Xue. Growing older and growing more distant wasn’t something unusual either.
Three days ago, Bai Ning Xue advanced to completing her seventh refinement. Gu Yue was endlessly happy and took the initiative to congratulate her, however, he never imagined the difficulties that would result from it, being humiliated from head to tail.
It was a series of humiliations. Everything he had once cherished were crushed, trampled. Indeed, even the things that were thought as the most precious of treasures, once they were sent to Bai Ning Xue’s parents, and they were proved worthless, those items were thrown back at him.
Waste, garbage, useless. These were words Gu Yue had heard countless times over the years, but never once had he heard it from Bai Ning Xue. It was only until now that he finally realized that Bai Ning Xue was only feigning civility.
Gu Yue did not care about being humiliated. As an orphan, he had tasted humiliation many times over the years. He knew that as long as you were powerful, no one would look down on you. He had long understood this. But even knowing that, for Bai Ning Xue to still turn out to be like this… it was still a heavy blow to him
“Regardless, I’ll thank you all the same for returning the relics of my parents to me.” Prying open the chest, Gu Yue picked up a round pendant. This pendant was unique, resembling a small disc. The surface held countless black spots, like the bits of filth someone couldn’t scrub off. It looked very rough.
This had been a gift from his parents when he turned ten years old. It was said that it was an array disc from the Gu Xie Era (Ancient Cultivation) with magical effects.
From then until now, Gu Yue did not discover anything astonishing about this round pendant, but his parents had left it for him as their last birthday gift. So to him, it was a treasure.
If he had not mistaken Bai Ning Xue’s interest in it, Gu Yue would not have considered giving it to her as a congratulatory gift. But even after they humiliated him, the pendant was incredibly not lost, and had been returned back to him.
Gu Yue inclined his head forward, touching the pendant to his forehead. The seemingly rough-looking surface was actually quite smooth. So much so, that it could stick to his face. Gu Yue felt a warmth, as if it was his mother’s touch.
He sighed. He knew he could not get too lost in his thoughts. If he wanted to change his situation, he had to become stronger. Only by making yourself strong, could no one ignore you; and for things like this? (the humiliation) It would never happen again.
But.. if you want to be strong, you must first spend money. Over the years, the savings his parents had accrued were nearly gone. What’s even more ridiculous is that more than half of it he had actually given it to Bai Ning Xue (I think he means from the gifts he had given to her over the years). Now, in retrospect, Gu Yue could only find himself as really stupid.
Suddenly, a trace of pain spread from his forehead. Gu Yue snapped from his thoughts and looked for a mirror, only to find a spot in the middle of his forehead had become blood-red.
He recalled the disc in his hands. What formerly had a smooth surface had spit, and had become sharp. Having not paying attention, it had cut his forehead and blood had spilt on the disc.
Only, the blood was absorbed.
That dull ancient looking disc began to emit faint blue rays of light from the black spots, glittering like faint starlight.
“So this pendant is a treasure?” At this moment, regardless of who saw, they would know that this small, round plate was extraordinary. Gu Yue immediately showed interest. Just as he was carefully going to make some observations of the sudden colorful design on the pendant’s surface, the rays of light, without the least bit of warning, shot out of the pendant and hit his head.
“Ah!” Gu Yue screamed. There was no time to dodge. There was only a flash aimed towards his head. By the time Gu Yue realized it, he was stunned to find the pendant was gone.
It was like an illusion. It hit his head, and in that moment, it was gone.
There was no pain, no collision as he thought there would be.
“Was it an illusion?” Gu Yue wondered, but he quickly shook his head. He was certain it was not. The chest was still there and so was the chain that once held the pendant.
“Was stolen?” Gu Yue shook his head again. Perhaps someone powerful may have the ability to steal the pendant in front of him quietly, but among Moonlight City, those who could would have to be at the very top. This pendant was just a souvenir, and had no value at all. So why would a strong individual come and steal it?
“Since it’s not an illusion, nor is it stolen, then there should be only one explanation. The pendant did not disappear, but somehow entered my body.” Eliminate all the other possibilities, then no matter how incredible, what is left can only be fact.
Gu Yue closed his eyes and began to meditate. It was something his parents taught him. Meditation was the gateway to being enlightened of heaven and earth. Perceiving and generating a s.p.a.ce within one’s own mind could upgrade one’s mental strength. Over the years, no matter how hard it was to learn and practice, he insisted on meditating every night, never ceasing.
The effect from meditation could only be regarded as barely satisfactory, but at least not in vain. His spiritual power exceeded that of an ordinary person, although limited. It was enough though to a.s.sist him in learning enough about runes to pa.s.s his cla.s.s. Rune magic didn’t come from nothing.
With peace of mind, he appeared in a void of heaven and earth. This mediation was the doorway to self-reflection, but immediately that void was split, and an immense disc forcibly burst within Gu Yue’s mind, and like a prairie fire, it spread over his mind’s s.p.a.ce.
“And sure enough, it’s here,” Gu Yue mumbled. He was not surprised that the pendant was in front of him within the void, only now it was magnified countless times. It was like an expansive galaxy, where many stars shined as they circulated.